In a tight race over the final 500 meters, the Bucs 4 pulled away at the end.

"The 4 did a good job of pushing today. Both boats did a good job of pushing," Barry coach Dave Sanderson said. "There were really no dead spots in the race today. They did a really good job of racing the full 2,000 meters. I think both boats were very focused, and raced very aggressively. We tried to work on some very specific things in practice throughout the week, and then we were able to translate that into good racing."

Throughout the week, as is the custom before every race, the Buccaneers ran through different scenarios and how to respond as they visualized the race playing itself out. After getting the result her team sought, Boncheva said the next step is to go faster.

"We'd like to go faster, at least a little, every race," she said.

"A few seconds doesn't seem like that much to everybody else, but it is," Harrison added.

Next weekend, the Bucs compete at the FIRA Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota on the same course Barry will host the Sunshine State Conference Championships April 26. The FIRA Championships is a two-day regatta with a larger competition field. It will mark the Bucs' first big regatta of the season

"It'll be exciting to race with six boats across," Harrison said. "It'll be so much more adrenaline."

Of course, racing against the Sharks on days like Saturday carries its own motivation.

"It's always a big deal for the girls when we race against Nova," Sanderson said. "It's something we look forward to. Certainly, it's one of the highlights of the spring. They raced hard, and I'm really proud of them. But we've got a lot of work to do."